Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness

Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness is a remarkable creation. Harold Holzer, of the Metropolitan Museum of Art (and cochairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission), calls it “interesting and compelling,” saying that “Reed’s commentary and the arrangement and choice of imagery make Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness a very worthwhile and elegant project.” Dr. Thomas Turner, longtime editor-in-chief of the Lincoln Herald (the oldest continuously published journal devoted to the life and career of Abraham Lincoln), calls it “a unique study” that “makes a significant contribution to the field.” Reed draws on his own unparalleled collection of Lincoln numismatic items, illustrating the book with hundreds of full-color images sure to delight the collector and historian. These are joined by engravings and daguerreotypes, old film stills, a never-before-published oil painting, magazine covers, political cartoons, and a host of other images. They are poignant, provocative, profound, sometimes puzzling; individually fascinating and collectively illuminating.

Dr. Turner, in the book’s foreword, muses on the potential for Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness to bridge the gap between mainstream historical study and numismatics:

“American historians may conclude, like our colleagues in other fields, that while we have learned a great deal about Lincoln from manuscript sources, there are other ways of approaching our 16th president. If Fred Reed’s book moves the study of currency and other images away from the realm of specialists and makes it more available to mainstream Lincoln studies, then his book will provide a definite service.”

Whether you’re a student of Civil War history, a collector of Lincoln memorabilia, or an enthusiast of American popular media, Abraham Lincoln: The Image of His Greatness is sure to delight you and make you think.Binding: HardcoverEdition: 1stPublication Date: February 24, 2009Size: 8.5x11Pages: 288